Igor Shesterkin or Ilya Sorokin?
That’s the question facing Russian head coach Valeri Bragin prior to tonight’s gold medal game versus Canada at the World Junior Championships.
Today, Bragin said he was still undecided on which of his goalies would get the nod, probably because there are compelling cases for both.
Shesterkin, the Rangers’ four-round pick at the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, has started the last two games and performed very well, stopping 65 of 68 shots in wins over the U.S. and Sweden.
Sorokin, the Islanders’ third-round pick at last year’s draft, hasn’t fared as well during the tournament but has something of a wildcard in his back pocket -- a brilliant 52-save victory over Canada in a per-tournament exhibition on Dec. 19.
“Their goalie played a hell of a game,” Canada’s Max Domi said following the 2-1 loss, per the Toronto Star. “We had a lot of Grade-A scoring chances.”
There won’t be any similar questions facing the Canadians tonight. Montreal draftee Zach Fucale will play for the third straight game, putting Jets prospect Eric Comrie on the bench once again.